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“There are only two kinds of people, those who accept dogmas and know it, and those who accept dogmas and don’t know it.” – G. K. Chesterton - The Mercy of Mr. Arnold Bennett, Fancies vs. Fads

It is an interesting case to examine the phrase "pursuit of happiness" in light of the philosophical heritage of the founding fathers. Happiness in the classical world, as per Aristotle, meant operating in accordance with perfect virtue. That might be Aquinas' take on Aristotle's definition, but what ever. The point is, and this goes for discussions on liberty, you can see how much definitions change over a short few centuries, thus leading to simple phrases such as "the pursuit of happiness" taking on entirely new meaning, diverging greatly from what was understood and meant at the time it was penned.

Well that is odd to say... The united states were built using blocks provided by philosophers while Europe was built with divine right. The history aspect of your comment.

The aversion is odd too, John Dewey's philosophies are like invisible hands shaping this country.

America is built on philosophical principles but as you said those hands truly are invisible to most. We, as a whole, lack an awareness of the philosophical tradition on which we are built unfortanately.

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“There are only two kinds of people, those who accept dogmas and know it, and those who accept dogmas and don’t know it.” – G. K. Chesterton - The Mercy of Mr. Arnold Bennett, Fancies vs. Fads